CAIRO: Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo yesterday to work out how to deal with Hamas after the group rejected reconciliation talks aimed at ending the division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The meeting comes days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement controls the West Bank, threatened to call elections early next year if his Hamas rivals controlling Gaza don’t open reconciliation talks — an ultimatum that could deepen the rift.

In his opening speech, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal warned that Israel was the sole beneficiary of the rivalry between Palestinians, which spared Israel the trouble of moving forward in the peace process.

“If we don’t want to accuse anyone of hindering the peace process, then at least we are required to remind all parties involved of one fact: That we must not forget that the sole beneficiary of the rivalry between Palestinians is Israel,” Prince Saud said. “Any serious and effective move by Arabs will not fulfill its aim unless Palestinians stand united behind it.”

He added: “Holding this session reflects our concern over the Palestinian affairs, where division had stood in the way of all reconciliation efforts.”

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who called the emergency meeting, said Arabs should not accept any “political vacuum” in Palestinian Authority and not “tolerate a division in the Palestinian ranks.”

Hamas has rejected Abbas’ threat to call the elections, widely seen as an effort to pressure the group and pave the way for Abbas to restore his authority over Gaza.

According to diplomats at the meeting, Abbas is pressuring Arab countries to punish Hamas for its refusal to give up control of the Mediterranean strip. They say, however, that the Arab stand is not unified and that some countries, such as Qatar and Syria, favor a softer approach to accommodate Hamas. The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said Moussa also made it clear he would not support any condemnation or isolation of Hamas at this point.